The Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 2025 would amend the Wild Free-roaming Horses and Burros Act to restrict the use of aircraft in federal wild horse and burro roundups. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to phase out helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft over a two-year period for gathering or rounding up wild horses and burros, with an annual reduction in reliance on those methods until they are terminated. It also requires any aircraft still used in roundup operations to be equipped with cameras, and requires the footage to be included in the agency’s roundup report.
The bill’s findings argue that helicopter roundups are dangerous, stressful to animals, and costly to taxpayers, and that more humane and cost-effective alternatives such as fertility control exist. In addition to changing operational rules for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program, the bill would require a Government Accountability Office report on humane alternatives, job creation opportunities from those alternatives, and the effects of aircraft, including drones, on wild horse and burro populations.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend 16 U.S.C. 1338a, the federal statute governing wild free-roaming horses and burros, by limiting the Bureau of Land Management’s use of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in roundup operations. It would create a phased prohibition on those aircraft methods, add transparency requirements through camera-equipped aircraft and public footage in roundup reports, and trigger a GAO study on alternatives and impacts. The practical effect would be to shift federal herd-management practices away from aerial roundups and toward other capture or population-control methods, especially fertility control.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally supportive of animal welfare and transparency concerns, with its sponsors framing it as a humane and cost-saving reform. The bill text itself emphasizes the dangers of helicopter roundups, the limited public visibility of those operations, and the availability of alternatives. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no recorded legislative debate or roll-call sentiment beyond the bipartisan introduction by Representatives Titus, Cohen, and Ciscomani.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the federal government’s continued use of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for wild horse and burro management. Supporters argue these methods are inhumane, expensive, and avoidable, while opponents may view them as necessary tools for effective population control and land management. The bill also raises possible concerns about operational costs, implementation of alternatives, and whether camera requirements and phased elimination could affect the Bureau of Land Management’s ability to conduct roundups efficiently.